After big spike, crossings down sharply along Mexican border

— With apprehensions of people illegally crossing the southern border with Mexico dropping by more than half in the last few months, a top Trump Administration immigration official said the Mexican government needs to do even more to bring down the flow of people from Central America into the U.S.

"The government of Mexico has taken meaningful and unprecedented steps to help curb the flow of illegal immigration to our border," said acting Border Patrol chief Mark Morgan.

"Even though Mexico has stepped up," Morgan said, "we need them to do more. We need Mexico to do more."

"So they are stepping up in unprecedented ways, but we need them to continue to sustain that, and we need them continue to do more," added Morgan, who still has not been nominated for the Border Patrol post by President Donald Trump.

But the suggestion by Morgan that Mexico make itself into a 'safe third country' for those seeking to enter the United States, was firmly rejected by the Mexican government

"Mexico is not and will not accept being a safe third country, we have a mandate in that regard from the President of the Republic and it is a consensus in the Senate of all political forces. We will not accept it," said Mexican Foreign Minister Marcel Ebrard.

Since President Trump threatened to levy new tariffs on goods imported from Mexico earlier this year, the number of illegal immigrants detained by the U.S. has dropped back to levels near the start of 2019.